Michael Rush, 26, was accused of firing a shotgun outside a residence on Summit Avenue in Jersey City on Nov. 4, 2011 and then walking along North Street with the weapon before he was spotted by police.

Rush then allegedly ducked into an alleyway between two houses on North Street, ignoring orders from police to drop his weapon.

A responding Jersey City police officer called for a citywide assist, which brought all available units to the scene, complete with thermal-sensing devices, flashbangs and search dogs.

A police dog zeroed in on Rush, who was found hiding in the basement of a residence on North Street, according to testimony during the trial.

The jury deliberated for approximately three days before returning the verdict that cleared Rush on one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, but found him guilty of resisting arrest and burglary.

Rush’s defense attorney Sarah Walsh told The Jersey Journal she was thankful for the jury's time and effort.

A smile flashed over Rush’s face as the jury foreman read the not guilty verdict for the weapons offense.

The jury apparently wasn't convinced that Rush was the man police spotted with the gun. The defense raised the possibility that another man actually fired the gun and Rush fled the scene because he was running away from that man.

A sentencing date has been set for March 28, and Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Nicole De Palma said in court that she will argue for an extended sentence due to Rush’s past history of offending.

Rush was in prison from Jan. 20, 2006 to May 23, 2006 and Aug. 30, 2007 to Feb. 1, 2011 for resisting arrest, hindering apprehension and three drug counts, corrections records say.

He was out of prison for less than a year before the November incident occurred.